


what keeps you up at night (I carry it on my back)

by ramella



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Underage Drinking, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23328400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramella/pseuds/ramella
Summary: In a world where the names of those your soulmate kills appear on your body, Sakura wakes up to names of countless Uchiha on her back.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi
Comments: 246
Kudos: 1292
Collections: ItaSaku, Sakura Variety Pack





	1. Chapter 1

Sakura’s first mark appeared on her back when she was just six years old, causing her parents plenty of worries as they watched her wail in discomfort. The mark meant that their precious daughter’s soulmate was a killer when Sakura was too young to understand the implications of such an event. As worried as they were, Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno understood that in their world full of shinobi such marks were not uncommon. However, it was one thing to understand how common such soulmarks were in theory, and another thing entirely to see one on their own child. 

Sakura’s parents themselves were never sure whether they were each other’s soulmates, each bearing a few nondescript nameless soulmarks that were common for low-level shinobi that were forced to fight in the Third Shinobi War. Although their marks matched the number of enemy shinobi they killed during the war, without names it was impossible to know for sure. 

After Sakura’s first mark appeared many more followed, all simple red lines, nameless. Kizashi suspected that his daughter’s soulmate was an ANBU who often had to dispose of enemy shinobi without knowing who they are, resulting in nameless soulmarks. Sakura’s mother disagreed as even the nameless marks left their daughter in a great deal of pain and surely no member of ANBU would be that distraught over murdering people they didn’t even know. 

When Sakura entered the Ninja Academy a year later, her soulmate’s prolific killing streak left her unable to sleep on too many occasions, leading her mother to consult medical ninja at the Konoha Hospital. The attending medic-nin showed Mebuki several pain-relieving medical ninjutsu techniques but regrettably, neither Mebuki nor her husband had levels of chakra control that enabled them to use them. Sakura watched the medic-nin carefully, fascinated that shinobi can alleviate pain as much as they can cause it.

Since Sakura was already an Academy student, she insisted on taking her baths independently so it was only by accident that Mebuki saw her daughter’s first named soulmark after Sakura forgot to take a towel with her into the bathroom. 

It read ‘Fujita Takahiro’ in the same red shade as Sakura’s nameless soulmarks. 

“Sakura, how long has that name been there?” asked Mebuki. 

“About a week or so,” Sakura replied. “I also got another 2 nameless ones since then.”

“Do they no longer hurt, then? You’ve been sleeping much better these days,” her mother said thoughtfully.

“I’ve been practicing that technique you were taught at the hospital by concentrating my chakra on my back really hard. I am not very good at it, but the pain is now not enough for me to wake you up,” said Sakura with a warm but somewhat tired smile. 

Mebuki failed to hide her surprise. Perhaps their daughter will soon surpass both her parents as a ninja after all. 

Finding out who Fujita Takahiro was exactly proved to be more difficult than Sakura’s parents anticipated. Their search was fruitless until Kizashi brought up his daughter’s first named soulmark at a reunion of his Academy graduating class. Upon hearing the name, one of the Jounin pulled out a little book from his pocket and started flicking through the pages. 

After a short while, he outstretched his arm, book in hand so Kizashi could see it for what it was. The Konoha Bingo Book. Right in front of him was the entry for Fujita Takahiro, an S-class missing-nin from Iwagakure. 

Kizashi was certain that he had been right and Sakura’s soulmate was ANBU but somehow that realisation did not sit well with his paternal instincts. 

***

As far as Sakura knew, she was the only girl in her Academy class that had a soulmark. Or in her case, thirty of them. In her head, Sakura’s soulmate was a fierce protector of her village who travelled in the middle of the night in an animal ANBU mask to dispose of Konoha’s greatest enemies. Realistically, her soulmate could also be from a different country seeing as she only had one named mark to go by, but still she hoped that was not the case. 

Sadly, her marks also meant that Sasuke, the boy in her class that she came to greatly admire, was also not her soulmate. 

Sometimes she wished that the soulmarks were more specific and far less gruesome. Surely it would be much easier for fate to write her soulmate’s name on her skin instead of marking her with their every kill. This vague way of soulmarking people surely did not lead to many successful matches. Still, Sakura somehow believed that she’d be one of the lucky ones.

Sakura’s experience easing the pain of soulmark manifestation caused her to seek out more information about medical ninjutsu in the Academy library. Umino Iruka, her instructor at the Academy, praised her curiosity but warned her that it’s important not to neglect other aspects of shinobi training. Despite his words, Sakura still found herself late to target practice after being completely absorbed in the medical texts. 

However, no amount of reading and clumsy practice of basic medical ninjutsu could have prepared her for what happened a year later. That day, Sakura was nursing the remnant of fever and skipped going to the Academy to rest at the insistence of her parents. She was resting in bed, feeling the last wisps of her headache subside. Sakura let out a sigh and sank deeper into her mattress. Her reverie was broken with a sudden but familiar pain in her back. Another soulmark. Sakura channelled her chakra into the painful spot in her back like she has done on numerous other occasions but this time the pain was too acute to deal with on her own. Soon other marks followed and each one caused more pain than the last. 

Unable to deal with her anguish any more, Sakura called out for her parents in desperation. 

“What is it, Sakura, is the fever back?” asked her mother as she flew through the bedroom door. 

Sakura just shook her head with gritted teeth and rolled over onto her stomach, pointing at her back. Letting out a shrill cry of pain, Sakura lost consciousness. Mebuki carefully rolled up her daughter’s pyjama to reveal dozens of new names. She gasped when she realised that all of them had one thing in common.

They were all Uchiha. 

***

It was still dark when Sakura woke up with a dull ache across her whole back. Slowly, she got up to go and inspect her new soulmarks in the bathroom when she heard her parents arguing about something downstairs.    
  
“Can you be quiet, you’ll wake Sakura up,” Mebuki said sternly as she scolded her husband. 

“But we have to tell the Third, what if more of them are in danger? argued Kizashi. 

Listening intently, Sakura made her way downstairs as stealthily as she could.

“And how will we explain coming across this information without revealing that our daughter is soul-bound to a mass murderer?”

“Who is soul-bound to a mass murderer?” enquired Sakura, catching both her parents off-guard. Her eyes intently searched both of their parents for answers neither of them could provide until the following morning. 

Soon, the whole village knew of the traitor Itachi Uchiha and the slaughter of the entire Uchiha clan that left only one survivor - Sakura’s classmate Sasuke, her soulmate’s younger brother. Overnight, the peace that was ever-present in Konoha was shattered, just like Sakura’s dream of being soulbound to a true protector of her village.

Her Academy classes were cancelled as the entire village observed a period of mourning. At first, her parents insisted that she should not leave the house and keep a low profile in case anyone finds out about her soulmarks. Sakura argued relentlessly for them to let her go as she felt it was only fair for her to go and pay respects to the people whose names she bore on her back. Reluctantly, her parents agreed although not before bandaging her entire back and giving her a high-collared shirt to wear.    
  
The sun shone brightly over the village in stark contrast to the mood that hung amongst those that chose to attend the Uchiha funeral. The list of the slain Uchiha was read out by the Third Hokage with a solemn look on his face. As more and more names were read out, Sakura wondered how all those names could possibly fit on her small back. At least she was lucky not to be soulmarked somewhere more visible like on the wrist, which is where both her parents carried their soulmarks. 

She wondered how someone could murder their entire family in cold blood. Ever since learning of the meaning of soulmarks, Sakura wanted to one day meet her soulmate but now learning more about Itachi Uchiha made her decide that she did not want to meet him after all. Sakura vowed never to kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. That way, Itachi would not get any clues as to her identity and she’d be able to live a life free of what he had done. 

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who stood next to the Hokage, his eyes cast towards the ground. Sakura passed out from the pain she experienced the night of the massacre but she was sure that the physical pain she experienced was nothing in comparison to the emotional trauma that he went through. She felt bound to him, somehow, through the marks on her back but she knew better than to go and tell him that. No, Sasuke could never know about her predicament as he would surely hate her for it. 

***

Despite her mother’s worries and Sakura’s own better judgement, she went out of the way to befriend Sasuke. It was a more difficult task than some of the medical ninjutsu Sakura studied, judging by the fact that unlike her medical ninjutsu, her progress with befriending Sasuke was nonexistent. 

Sasuke was very popular with the girls at the Academy. His fan-club was headed by Ino Yamanaka, Sakura’s best friend, but even the pretty blonde kunoichi did not get far in terms of gaining Sasuke’s affections. 

The one time Sakura caught Sasuke without his usual loyal following was when she came to visit the Uchiha memorial stone. She did not expect to see him there, although she supposed that he had more business visiting than she did, so it was no surprise when Sasuke spun around upon hearing her approach. 

“Even here? Do you have any self-respect?” shouted Sasuke angrily without really expecting her to answer, “You’re so annoying, just leave me alone!”

Taken aback, Sakura froze for a second before retreating into the woods through which she came. Sasuke didn’t deserve to be alone but he also clearly did not want her company or friendship so maybe it would be better for her to just leave him alone. 

Surprisingly, the next time they spoke was at Sasuke’s initiative. 

“You’re the only one who ever listens,” he said, startling Sakura as he lowered himself into the chair opposite her library seat. “Also, I wasn’t even trying to be quiet so you must have terrible ninja reflexes.”

“I was studying,” Sakura explained, trying to let his criticism of her slide in light of this surprising development of her abandoned mission to befriend the orphaned Uchiha. 

“I tell all the girls to leave me alone all the time, but you were the first one that actually listened,” he elaborated. “So, what were you doing at the Uchiha memorial?”   
  
“I just… wanted to leave some flowers that I was picking in the woods,” said Sakura somewhat unconvincingly, knowing full well that Sasuke could never know the real reason for her presence there. He eyed her suspiciously, unconvinced. 

“I thought...I thought that maybe if there was a skilled medical ninja available on the scene then more lives would be spared,” she continues, “I want to become a medic-nin, so something like what you went through never happens again.”

“Hn. Maybe you are just as silly as I previously thought after all,” said Sasuke. “After all, it’s not like those like you have any chance against him.”    
  
“Against who?” Asked Sakura, although she knew the answer.

“Itachi Uchiha, of course, the man I am going to kill.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura grows up with the consequences of her soulmark.

Ino’s first soulmark appeared during a celebratory sleepover at Sakura’s house the day they both passed their genin tests. A night of gossiping about their new teammates and imagining a future of exciting missions cut short by a cutting pain in Ino’s back. As Sakura discovered that night, it was harder to ease someone else’s pain with her chakra than it was to ease her own soulmark-borne suffering. 

“You have a soulmark too,” said Ino without a hint of a question in her voice. 

“How did you know?” asked Sakura nervously, looking down at her cup of lukewarm cocoa that she hardly touched. 

“I think anyone else would be freaked out by their friend’s sudden back pain, but it’s like you knew immediately what it was about,” Ino explained. “Can I see yours?”

Sakura visibly stiffened, at a loss as to what to say. On one hand, Ino was the closest friend she had and on the other, her parents’ words were ringing in her ear. No one could know.

“It’s ok. Maybe someday when you’re ready,” Ino said, breaking the lingering silence. Sakura looked up at her then and offered a shaky but grateful smile. 

In the coming months, Ino got many new soulmarks, all nameless. She didn’t even feel pain when the last one presented itself, instilling a pang of jealousy in Sakura who suffered with every single soulmark. Sakura wondered then why her soulmarks hurt but Ino’s did not. 

At least now she wasn’t the only one carrying someone else’s sins on her back. 

  
  


***   
  


Fighting her best friend during the Chunin exams was an experience Sakura never wanted to repeat. Ino helped Sakura come out of her shell and protected her in their Academy days when no one else would. It was a fierce battle, with many punches thrown as both girls respected the other enough to go all-out. Sakura did not want to hurt Ino, a feeling that she felt was surely reciprocated by the blonde kunoichi. However, this was an exam and Sakura’s desire not to hurt Ino was trampled by her wish to be on par with Naruto and Sasuke. 

Since their mission in the Land of Waves, Sakura realised that her natural affinity for easing her own soulmark induced pain was a result of her apparent talent at chakra control. Throughout most of the battle, the kunoichi were evenly matched. Although Sakura had the upper hand in terms of predicting Ino’s movements due to her superior analytics skills, expelling Ino from her mind left Sakura more exhausted than she would have liked. 

Sakura did not think she could possibly punch Ino harder than she was doing already. But then again, before she climbed that tree in the Land of Waves on first try, she did not think she would be able to do that either, and yet… 

_ ‘That’s it, _ ’ thought Sakura, even though she was not sure whether her plan was even going to work. 

As the two friends ran towards each other for what looked like the final confrontation of the match, Sakura channelled chakra into her fist, in a similar way to when she channelled it into her feet when tree climbing. Now, she only had to release it at the right time. 

As their fists collided with each other’s faces, Sakura felt the chakra from her hand dissipate just a little too late to coincide with the immediate impact of her strike. The next thing she felt was the sharp sting of Ino’s punch straight to her face. 

Sakura’s disappointment did not have time to settle in as she lost consciousness. 

As the battle was deemed a draw, only Kakashi Hatake, who carefully watched from the sidelines mentally noted how Ino was thrown back by Sakura’s punch slightly further than he thought would be possible for his student. 

***

The day before Sasuke was meant to fight Gaara, he was still nowhere to be found. Frustrated and worried, Sakura went to the Uchiha memorial stone for the first time since Sasuke told her to leave years ago. As she approached the place, Sakura’s heart swelled with the hope that Sasuke would be there. The spot in front of the stone that Sasuke so often haunted was empty, just like every other place that Sakura thought to look. 

With this final streak of failure, Sakura gave up and sat on the slightly damp ground in front of the stone and examined the dozens of names on the stone. Sakura wondered how all of these names could even fit onto her back. Over the years, Sakura became familiar with the names on her back and often found herself observing them by using her make-up and bathroom mirror. Yet, as she read out the names on the memorial stone, she found some names that she did not remember seeing on her back. The kunoichi took a mental note of the unfamiliar names and rushed home to see if her theory was correct. 

Running past her parents and straight into the bathroom, Sakura set up the mirrors so she could see her back clearly. She stared intently at the reflection, double- and triple-checking the names. As realisation dawned on her, horror also set in. Although she carried on her back dozens of Uchiha names, there were just as many that were missing. 

That could mean only one thing. She had to tell the Hokage. 

Rushing out of her home as quickly as she ran in, Sakura made her way to the Hokage Tower with unprecedented speed.

“I need to see the Hokage,” demanded Sakura as she looked up to the two guards guarding the Tower. “It is very urgent”

“What does a genin like you have to see the Hokage for?” Challenged one of the guards, “He is meeting with important envoys from Sand at the moment and is not receiving visitors. Make an appointment and come back later!”

Sakura grumbled to herself, defeated once again. She wrote her name down in the appointment book, noting with dissatisfaction that her name was at the end of a long list of others who wished to see the Hokage. 

The next time Sakura stood within the vicinity of the Third Hokage was at his funeral, a devastated crowd gathered around the procession amidst streets ruined by the invasion. 

Sakura was certain that there was someone else involved in the Uchiha massacre. With no one to trust amidst all the misery, she resigned to keeping that secret just like she guarded the names on her back. 

*** 

Like many of Konoha’s shinobi, Sakura only heard about her soulmate’s visit to Konoha after he was long gone. As Sakura watched over Kakashi and Sasuke, still unconscious from whatever Itachi has done with them, she pondered Itachi’s ability to devastate lives every time he was here. 

The sight of her fallen teammates brought tears to Sakura’s eyes as she mentally wished Naruto and Jiraya luck on their mission of finding Lady Tsunade. The legendary Sannin was frequently mentioned by the medic-nin who visited Kakashi and Sasuke’s room. Tsunade was reportedly the best medic amongst all shinobi and the staff of the Konoha hospital all hoped to meet her one day. Although Tsunade was reportedly being recruited to take over the Hokage title, Sakura was hoping for her safe arrival for the sake of her comrades and friends. 

Even if her theory was true, and Itachi was not the only perpetrator of the Uchiha massacre, he was still a monster who was able to inflict untold suffering on members of his own family. 

As Sakura spent most of her free time in the hospital, she witnessed first-hand Lady Tsunade’s miraculous healing abilities. The fact that Sakura had absolutely no idea as to the mechanics of the jutsu used only added to her awe. Considering how no other medic in Konoha was able to influence Kakashi and Sasuke’s condition, Tsunade’s skill was proven to be truly extraordinary when both her teammates regained consciousness a few days later. 

However, Sakura’s happiness was short-lived as her mind clouded with worry over Sasuke’s intentions to leave the village to pursue his revenge through Orochimaru’s teachings. The night of Sasuke’s release from the hospital, Sakura waited by the village gates for her teammate. Her worst fears proved to be correct when she saw Sasuke’s silhouette emerge from the darkness. Sakura could see the resolve in his face illuminated by the flickering street lamp above the bench she sat on and prepared for the worst. 

“Don’t go, Sasuke,” she pleaded. 

“I have to kill him, Sakura, you don’t understand. Itachi and I are bound by fate,” said Sasuke, his voice cold. 

Sasuke couldn’t have possibly known that out of everyone in this world, no one understood him better than Sakura when it came to Itachi. This was no time to reveal her secret though. 

“I love you, Sasuke, like family. Naruto loves you too - we can all be a family if you stay.”   
  
“I had a family, and he killed all of them,” finished Sasuke resolutely. The knot that grew in Sakura’s stomach the moment she spotted Sasuke gripped at her insides with more intensity as the hopelessness of the situation set in.

“I will scream for the guards if you don’t turn back now, I mean it.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Sakura saw Sasuke flash and disappear in front of her eyes. The next thing she felt was a blunt force to the back of her head and the ever familiar pull of unconsciousness. 

*** 

When Kakashi found Sakura on the bench next to the gates that led outside the village, he feared the worst had happened. 

He shook her awake carefully and once Sakura was in an upright position sat beside her on the bench. 

“I couldn’t stop him, Sensei,” admitted Sakura with her head bowed. 

“Neither could I, so I guess we are just going to deal with that together.” 

Kakashi thought with dread about breaking the news to Naruto and if the look on Sakura’s face was anything to go by, that was most likely on her mind as well. 

“Kakashi-sensei, do you have a soulmate?” asked Sakura. 

“I had,” said Kakashi, fighting the images that threatened to flash before him at the mention of the word. “They died in the last Shinobi War.” 

Sakura looked him in the eye for the first time that morning and they radiated pity. Kakashi was always amazed by Sakura’s ability to care so much for others even as her own world was collapsing around her. 

“If you are wondering if Sasuke is yours, you won’t know until he has taken a life,” said Kakashi solemnly. 

“Will he be killed as a traitor, now that he deserted?” Just like she had a bottomless amount of regard for others, Sakura also had a knack for asking the difficult questions. 

“We can’t know for sure, only the Hokage can make that call,” explained Kakashi. 

“In that case, I want to go see Lady Tsunade,” declared Sakura. 

“Well then, let’s go.”

As they walked silently to the Hokage Tower, Kakashi remembered Sakura’s prodigious talent in chakra control and her performance in the chunin exams. Although he did not think to use the Sharingan to observe the fight between Sakura and Ino, Kakashi suspected that his student’s last punch was an amateur's attempt at chakra enhanced strength. He made a mental note to recommend Sakura as Tsunade’s apprentice. With Naruto now under Jiraya’s tutelage, and Sasuke in Orochimaru’s grasp, Kakashi was a true failure of a sensei and Sakura deserved better. 

As he tossed and turned in bed that night, replaying his conversation with Sakura, Kakashi wondered why she asked him about soulmates. That night he couldn’t keep the memory of Rin’s lifeless body away from his nightmares. During those nights, the last thing he always saw before he woke up was Rin’s own name appearing across her neck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update before I go in a bit of a coursework marathon over the next few days. 
> 
> The next chapter will cover some of Sakura's training under Tsunade and her first meeting with Itachi.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Tsunade deal with soulmark-related revelations.

The evening temperatures were uncommonly warm in the past week, making them perfect for a nice relaxing soak in the hot springs. Tsunade sighed loudly as she lowered herself deeper into the hot waters of the onsen, her mind hazy from the alcohol that she drank celebrating today’s special occasion. Just five hours ago (or maybe seven), Sakura, her prized apprentice wrapped up her first surgery without Tsunade’s assistance. To mark the occasion, Tsunade splurged the money she’d normally lose gambling on completely booking out the onsen for the evening. 

Although Sakura became her apprentice almost two and a half years ago, it still felt like yesterday for the Sannin. With the progress Sakura was making, Tsunade could see her student surpass her own skills whilst Tsunade was still alive. The knowledge that she is likely to witness Sakura reach that level of skill warmed her heart more than the water of the hot spring or the sake. 

The Sannin was brought back from her reverie by the sound of water being disturbed as Sakura lowered herself into the water. Sakura preferred not to celebrate with sake, so her strange swimming pattern confused her sensei’s tipsy brain. Instead of floating around in the water to find a comfortable position, Sakura was shifting and sliding so that she was always facing Tsunade. 

“Shishou, you didn’t have to book out the entire place for us,” said Sakura timidly, sounding uncomfortable at the expense. 

“Nonsense,” replied Tsunade. “When else would I get such a splendid excuse for celebration? Besides, you’ve always rejected my invitations to the onsen because you don’t like other people seeing you, so I just had to get rid of that problem!” 

Sakura shifted uncomfortably but smiled and then eased into the water. 

“I’ve got one last surprise,” said Tsunade as she rustled in the bush next to the edge of the water where she stashed an extra bottle of sake. “Don’t look at me with those disapproving eyes! Besides, if you don’t drink I can’t teach you how to use your chakra to remove alcohol from your system...:”

Predictably, Sakura’s eyes lit up at the prospect of learning a new jutsu. 

“The water is nice, thank you shishou,” said Sakura. “This is my first time in an onsen. So strange how the water gets so hot without any added heat source. Nature truly is fascinating.”

“Hey, Sakura, that is too much thinking and not enough drinking. Come on, let’s celebrate your achievement with a special item from my stash.” 

Tsunade poured sake for them both. She watched Sakura sip it distrustfully at first, noting how her eyebrows rose in surprise and appreciation after a proper taste. Tsunade was glad that one of her favourite bottles would not be wasted on her student. She only hoped that Sakura would not take on the habit to the point that Tsunade herself did. 

They were about three-quarters of the bottle in when the conversation shifted away from harmless village gossip and medical chit chat.

“Shishou,” began Sakura carefully. “Why do you not hide your soulmakrs?” She was eyeing Tsunade’s arm that was almost fully covered in red tally marks. 

“Well, it’s not the best story for a happy occasion such as this one, but since you asked, it’s not so much to let the others see it, but so I am always reminded to spend every day making progress towards a future where neither I nor anyone else has to see someone they love die despite being treated with medical ninjutsu.” Suddenly, the sake that she had already was not enough to numb whatever feelings were going through the Sannin’s head, prompting her to take another swig straight out of the bottle. “I hope for your sake, Sakura, that you will never have to live through the hopelessness of watching your soulmate die when your hands are still glowing with medical chakra.” 

A heavy silence hung in the air and Tsunade moved to pat Sakura’s head in an effort to change the atmosphere.

“Anyway, kiddo, in this time of relative peace, you are unlikely to find out who they are exactly. Dan and I only knew we were bound by fate because Jiraya, Orochimaru and I used to be sent on specific assassination missions, so we knew the names of our targets. Dan fought shinobi he never knew the names of so my soulmarks are all nameless. So love who you want to love, fate’s a bitch anyway!”

Unfortunately for her, Tsunade didn’t manage to suppress the nervous laughter at the end of her speech and reached for the sake, only to have the bottle intercepted by her student.

“You’ve had enough, shishou,” said Sakura pointedly. Tsunade relented, thinking that she had already spent one too many nights drinking away this sort of pain.

Suddenly, Tsunade heard a sharp hiss of pain emanating from her apprentice. The bottle fell into the water, the contents wasted in the water of the onsen. Sakura’s hands were rubbing her back desperately but whatever was causing the pain showed no sign of stopping. 

Tsunade did not register Sakura’s loud ‘no’ as the Sannin’s medic tendencies overpowered her drunk state enough for Tsunade to firmly take Sakura by the shoulders and turn her around so she could examine her back where the pain seemed to be originating. 

The sight of Sakura’s back sobered Tsunade up faster than her jutsu. Underneath a field of nameless soulmarks Sakura was a living Uchiha memorial stone and now there were three angry fresh soulmarks at the small of her back. 

Through gritted teeth and still in pain, Sakura murmured, “As you said, shishou, fate’s a bitch.”

The Fifth Hokage passed on many things to Sakura, but as she stared, still wide-eyed at the cemetery etched into her student’s skin, she thought that the one thing Sakura had way before she met Tsunade was incredibly rotten luck. 

***

When she woke up to a summons from the Hokage, Sakura feared that she would be killed, or worse, exiled from the village. Sakura had enough sake that the memories of the evening were quite hazy and alcohol-induced nausea only exacerbated the dread she was feeling. As she made her way to the Hokage Tower by foot to prolong the process, Sakura mentally prepared her excuses for why she didn’t disclose her unfortunate soulmate situation. Sakura wished for the walk to be endless, but before long she found herself in front of the Hokage’s Office. With a heavy heart and a hope that this wasn’t her last day in Konoha. 

“Come in,” came Tsunade’s serious voice from behind the door. When Sakura entered, she was surprised to find her sensei already looking at her instead of shuffling through her paperwork as was her usual custom. 

“Sit,” said Tsunade, gesturing to a chair in front of her table. Sakura did as she was told. The Hokage placed a recently unsealed scroll in front of Sakura with a marking that denoted the highest form of village secrets. 

“Read.” 

From a quick glance at the document before her, Sakura realised that it was about the Uchiha Massacre. As she scanned the text with her eyes, Sakura almost felt her world collapse from underneath her. Her knuckles were bone-white from the way her hands gripped the armrests on the chair. As she read the scroll, Sakura came to realise that there was something far worse than being exiled from your village, and Uchiha Itachi went through it all. 

“So my soulmate is not a heartless murderer.” 

“He is not.”

Sakura could not describe what she was going through. In many ways, the moment felt like the very night she first received her soulmark in the sense that her life was completely changed. Unlike that night, though, there was now hope where there used to be despair. 

“...and he is still loyal to Konoha.”

“As far as I know. However, this information cannot leave this room. I only came to know of the circumstances surrounding the night of the Uchiha Massacre when I took over this position so you will have to guard this secret just like you guard what’s written on your back.” 

“I understand,” confirmed Sakura. “This information is safe with me. I didn’t believe those that said that soulmark pain is proportional to the emotional distress your soulmate feels when they take a life, but now this makes more sense...”

“When I saw your soulmark last night, I did not think it would be fair for me to keep something like this from you when those names on your body have defined how you carry yourself for so long.”   
  
“I thank you for trusting me with it. Truly,” said Sakura with genuine regard in her tone. “However, there is something else you should know about that night that you wouldn’t find in the scroll…”

Tsunade’s eyes met hers with interest. Whatever someone could say about Sakura’s predicament, at least life as a walking village secret was never boring. 

***

Sakura left Tsunade’s office with troubled thoughts and a piece of paper with an address that led somewhere deep within Fire country. 

On Tsunade’s advice, Sakura was to travel to the given location at the earliest opportunity to visit Tsunade’s old friend who specialised in sealing jutsu. Notably, the old woman was able to mask soulmarks with a seal, something that even Jiraya, who was known for his seal mastery, could not do. 

However, before the kunoichi managed to find the time out of her training and hospital duties, Konoha became abuzz with the news that Naruto had returned and for a little while, the joy of seeing her old teammate overshadowed the worries that fate had bestowed upon her. 

Unfortunately, that joy was short-lived. An urgent message from Suna delivered the news that the Kazekage had been kidnapped and his brother was in critical condition, poisoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo I know I said they'd meet in this chapter but oops, that didn't happen! But still, developments happened and new knowledge has been acquired. 
> 
> Next up... Kazekage Recovery Mission with a sprinkle of AU changes. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented and left kudos, it is really touching and appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kazekage Rescue Mission.

Itachi was not looking forward to meeting his brother’s old team across a battlefield, even if he was only temporarily making use of this body through Pain’s jutsu. The only saving grace of this entire situation was that it was better for Itachi to stall the Konoha shinobi than any of the other Akatsuki who would not hesitate to inflict serious damage on a bunch of young ninjas and the Copy-Nin. 

As Itachi expected, Kakashi charged first.

“Your eyesight, how much has it weakened?” Kakashi asked, not expecting an answer as he revealed his own Sharingan. 

As Itachi also expected, the Nine-Tails kid followed soon after. Naruto was the type of shinobi that was very easy to trap in a genjutsu. As Itachi’s chakra swirled around Naruto it was easy to manifest his nightmares right then and there. As a shinobi, it was dangerous to wear your heart on your sleeve but looking at Naruto then it was clear that his brother’s teammate did not know of any other way to live life. 

In a sense, Itachi envied that. He has long forgotten what it is like to live a life without secrets.

Battling another Sharingan user at this time without Itachi’s full power was exceedingly tedious. As the world around him grew increasingly blurry from his use of the Mangekyo, Itachi had to keep his standard Sharingan on almost permanently so he could track opponents by their chakra signature. 

It was easy enough to recognise Kakashi’s chakra signature. It took Itachi a bit longer to figure out who were the two shinobi that brought Naruto back from the world of his genjutsu. One of them was obviously older, and the slight similarity to Sasori’s chakra and the circumstances surrounding the Kazekage’s kidnapping led Itachi to conclude that it was Chiyo of Sunagakure. The realisation caused Itachi’s chest to swell with a sense of respect he wasn’t expecting to feel today. Unlike Chiyo, Itachi will never survive to see a battle at that age. 

The identity of the last figure was more elusive. The chakra signature was not particularly interesting in itself, but there was a strange concentration of chakra at the forehead that was somewhat uncomfortable to look at directly. By the process of elimination, the last figure had to be Sasuke’s female teammate. The concentration of chakra on her forehead most likely meant that just like Sasuke and Naruto, this girl was trained by one of the Sannin. It would be a while before the full seal manifested, of course, but the fact that it was even in progress spoke of a prodigious level of chakra control. Her stance and tendency to stand at the beck indicated medical training. Between the girl and Chiyo, Itachi wouldn’t be able to physically stall the whole squad for much longer in this body.

“Rasengan!” Naruto charged towards him with a truly impressive jutsu and a more impressive lack of subtlety. The boy has grown, thought Itachi, and this diversion has held them up long enough. This time, he did not dodge. 

As he felt his consciousness slowly leave the borrowed body he decided that thought was worth a smile. 

***

As Naruto’s Rasengan collided with Itachi in the distance, Sakura felt something within her shatter and she gasped loudly drawing Chiyo’s attention to her. The elderly kunoichi eyed her with something between curiosity and suspicion. Sakura’s head was racing with a million thoughts per second. How? This seemed too easy. He couldn’t possibly be dead. 

As the team approached the crater Naruto had left in the earth, the body that remained there did not look anything like Itachi. 

“He’s,” started Chiyo with shock clear in her voice.

“Huh? Do you know him?” asked Kakashi. 

“Yes… It’s Yura. He’s a Jonin from our village,” clarified Chiyo.

As Sakura stared at the lifeless body of the Suna shinobi, she thought about how somewhere, Naruto’s soulmate just felt their first-ever soulmark. 

Today, Sakura met her soulmate. It would be unfair to say that it went nothing like what she expected. A large part of her always knew that given who he was and who she was, their most likely meeting place was always going to be across a battlefield. However, a part of her wanted to meet him and see him see her. From where Sakuraa was standing, it looked like Itachi didn’t even glance in her direction. It was like he did not even care that she was there. 

Really, there was no reason for him to acknowledge her when he didn’t even see her as a threat. It was a fair assessment, especially given the fact that as a medic-nin she was not meant to charge head-first into a battle. Still, the thought that someone she thought about every day did not care that she existed stung. 

She allowed herself a moment of weakness, thinking about Itachi so intently when Gaara was somewhere at the brink of death. If she wanted Itachi to see her, she’d have to survive first. 

***

If someone told 12-year-old Sakura that within 3 years, she'd be facing off against the power of the Third Kazekage, she would have (politely) laughed at them for that ridiculous suggestion. 

As she feigned being poisoned, with her face against the stone and her mouth almost eating dirt, Sakura braced herself for the punch that would eliminate the iron sand puppet once and for all. With only her hearing to go by to make sure Sasori wasn’t aware of her deception, Sakura struck the incoming lifeless foe. 

The carcass of the puppet splintered into pieces. The pain in her knuckles felt almost euphoric. At least she’ll live long enough to have another go at eliminating the puppeteer. She had to survive this, not just for her own sake, but for the sake of the information that Sasori knew about Orochimaru. If she could get out of this alive, then maybe saving Sasuke would also be possible. 

Sakura made an effort to heal Choyo, even though from every expulsion of chakra, she felt more and more exhausted. She was running on adrenaline and the Will of Fire. 

When Sasori revealed his final form as a human puppet, Sakura stopped trying to recalculate her chances of getting out of this alive. At least if she perished, she hoped she’d take that half-alive machine with her. Sasori’s palms appeared to have holes capable of producing elemental chakra and his mid-section was filled with a thick metal rope that looked like it dripped poison. Jointed metal limbs protruded from the lower section of his torso and ended with a propeller of sharp blades. It would not be an understatement to say that this man has turned every single part of his body into at least one weapon, and they were all designed to kill. 

Avoiding Sasori’s fire and water attacks were bothersome and would have been a lot easier at the start of the battle. They were a lot more primitive than the Kazekage’s iron sand. However, at this point, even a second-long lapse in concentration could cost either of the kunoichi their lives. 

Realising that his next attack was aimed at Chiyo-baasama, Sakura leapt to her defence. She still had a few minutes of the antidote left, so with all the might that she still had left in her body, Sakura grabbed the poisoned metal tail and pulled it so it didn't reach her comrade. Seeing her efforts, Sasori picked up his speed.

“You little… shannaro!” As Sakura’s fist smashed into Sasori, she felt a sense of relief. Then, she heard the click-clacking noise of Sasori reassembling himself. Damn it. 

As Chiyo released her trump card of puppets, Sasori did the same. They were now outnumbered ten-fold, but since the Kazekage puppet was destroyed, it seemed like Sasori was now betting on quantity over sheer deadliness of his creations. 

“Sakura, stay out of this,” suggested Chiyo. 

“Baasama, I think you have figured enough of my personality to know that that’s not going to happen.”

Although there were a lot of puppets, between the efforts of Chiyo-baasama and Sakura, they were dropping like flies with the blade of Chiyo’s puppets or Sakura’s fists. Co-operating with one of Chiyo’s puppets, Sakura moved to seal Sasori, only to find out that he has been hiding amongst the fallen puppets for Kami-knows however long. 

How many trump cards did he still have up his sleeve? The real Sasori plunged towards Chiyo.

Sakura wasn’t sure that there was a rational reason for why she put herself between Sasori’s blade and Chiyo. As she tasted blood in her mouth for the thousandth time, she tasted death for the very first. 

Sakura’s acute awareness of The feeling of poison coursing through her blood-stream was disturbed by a sharp sting of a needle. To her horror, Sakura realised that the antidote that she meant for the other kunoichi was now spent on saving her life. 

So many times during this battle, Sakura thought she was doing something with her last remaining strength, and each time she was shown that it wasn’t enough. She grabbed onto the sword, holding Sasori in place and unable to move. 

“I won’t let go.” As always, Sasori answered everything with another trick, this time unsheathing another blade that was hidden within the puppet forearm. It felt like time had slowed down due to the raging pain in her abdomen and the lingering effects of the poison.

Still, it was all Chiyo needed to stab Sasori’s core with the two puppets who were once her family. 

Sakura was not meant to survive that stab wound and was counting her breaths waiting for one of them to be her last until Chiyo healed her with a healing chakra that Sakura has never experienced before. 

“Reanimation jutsu? I thought the user was supposed to die,” croaked Sasori.

“The sword wound you inflicted was severe, but she wasn’t dead so neither am I.”

“That’s unfortunate. Although looking at that kid now, I do not regret stabbing her. Looks like she is even more interesting than I thought.” His near-dead eyes were staring at a hole in Sakura’s top, exposing ‘Uchiha Fugaku’ that was etched into her skin. The writing was unmistakable, albeit slightly blurred by scar tissue.

*** 

Instinctively, Chiyo moved to inspect Sakura’s, blinking hard as if that was going to somehow erase the marks on Sakura’s back or Chiyo’s knowledge of what they represented. Despite being from the Sand village, Chiyo was well-acquainted with the story of the Uchiha Massacre and the recent Uchiha genealogy. 

Suddenly, Sakura’s strange reaction at Itachi’s ‘death’ hours earlier made more sense. Sakura got up but did not meet Chiyo’s eyes. Was she expecting to be judged for something that she had no control over?

Sakura stood up slowly, but Chiyo didn’t see her move to punch Sasori’s impaled body in the face until he was already complaining about it.

“That was useless since this body feels no pain. I thought I was going to offer you information about Orochimaru as a reward for defeating me, but instead, I will offer you a choice.” 

“I’m listening,” said Sakura, now more serious than she was angry. 

“I can tell you all I know about Orochimaru from my spy network within his organisation until my core bleeds out from these wounds, or you can deal the killing blow to me here and there and let Itachi-san know who you are.” 

The smirk on Sasori’s dollface indicated that he was enjoying the last minutes of his life immensely. In this world of shinobi, it was extremely rare for two people to realise that they were soulbound. During the Great Shinobi Wars, fighting was often indiscriminate and every day a lot of people ended up with extra nameless soulmarks. Some shinobi received only a few nameless marks only to never feel the sting of a new one appearing again. Others who one could argue were luckier and soulbound to civilians, rarely found their ‘one’ as they themselves had no markings. Those that were lucky enough to find their soulmate tended to have close relationships with them through other means, hence they were able to connect the proverbial dots. 

Sakura’s situation could not be considered lucky by any means, but at least the identity of her soulmate was unmistakable. Given the relationship between Itachi and Sasori, she was unlikely to have another chance to kill someone whose name Itachi would immediately be able to link to her own. Today, Sakura had a chance to fight to kill directly against an opponent instead of supporting others on the frontlines, as dictated by Tsunade’s medical-nin code of conduct. 

“Tell me about Orochimaru then,” said Sakura resolutely. 

“Hm, curious, you fight with such an uncommon sense of passion that I thought you’d jump at a chance of connecting with someone that’s meant for you.”

“Well, you also thought you’d be adding me to your puppet collection and look how that turned out,” retorted Sakura with an annoyed huff. 

“As you wish, then…”

Sasori detailed his history with the snake Sannin and the details of the upcoming meeting with his spy within Orochimaru’s hideout. Sakura listened intently until the last word left Sasori’s mouth and his puppet head slumped forward. Once, a long time ago, Chiyo was devastated to see her grandson leave his whole life behind and desert this village. As she surveyed the devastation around her and thought of Sakura’s brush with death, of Gaara still in danger somewhere beyond this cave. This time, she was not sad to see Sasori go. 

Glancing at Sakura’s back, Chiyo took one of her own kunai and slashed at the bottom of her robe, creating a makeshift bandage. 

“We should go now, Sakura, but let me put this on you first. No one else has to know.”  
  
Sakura nodded, her tired eyes shining with gratitude that she could not express with words. With the young kunoichi’s consent, Chiyo bandaged up the stab wound so the hole in Sakura’s shinobi uniform would not reveal her secret for everyone to see. 

This young girl was going to have a hell of a life ahead of her after surviving today, and Chiyo felt happy that a part of her was going to live through Sakura to see another tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things that are hard to write: battles and Itachi POV.  
> Things in this chapter: battles and Itachi POV.
> 
> Thank you, again, for reading and for all the kind comments. From the next chapter, things will deviate more from canon which I am excited about!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura travels to seal her soulmark.

The information that Sasori provided led to a mission that could easily be called a disaster. The dead Akatsuki puppeteer wasn’t obviously leading them to a trap, but the Leaf ninja had clearly underestimated Kabuto and Orochimaru. Naruto was still guilt-stricken over losing control of his tailed beast and injuring her. He was even further disappointed by his inability to defeat Sasuke and bring him back to the village. 

Team 7 was also nothing like it used to be. Yamato replaced Kakashi as their captain and Sasuke was replaced by Sai. Sai unnerved Sakura with his apparent lack of understanding of social decorum, but by the end of the mission, she developed a better understanding of the shinobi artist. If they were to bring Sasuke back eventually, they would need all the help they could get and Sad was certainly a valuable asset when it came to executing a mission. 

Whilst the rest of her team was resting after the mission, Sakura received a personal ‘mission’ of her own. Noting a lull in Akatsuki activity, Tsunade gave Sakura leave to travel to the small village on the southern coast of the Land of Fire and finally seal her soulmarks. 

The mission to Tenchi bridge made Sakura realise that Sasuke is unlikely to come home until his revenge against Itachi is complete. Except there was one big issue, Itachi did not deserve Sasuke’s wrath and Sakura's tongue was tied. Even if she could somehow tell Sasuke the truth about the Uchiha massacre, there was no way that he would believe her in his current state of mind. Revealing her soulmark could also put her in further danger if Sasuke took that the wrong way. 

The journey was set to take her around two days and involved a part of Fire Country that she was not so familiar with. During the early stages of Tsunade’s apprenticeship, they sometimes went on short trips outside of the village to practice with specialists in different techniques. The south-west of the country was somewhat sparsely populated and a bit too far to fit with the Hokage’s schedule so Sakura never had the chance to properly explore the area. 

Sakura relished the familiar feeling of the wind rushing past her as she jumped from branch to branch but it was strange that none of her usual companions were beside her. The mission felt lonely, but so did carrying all those Uchiha names on her body since she was a child. She only had a few days left until she didn't have to be afraid of someone seeing her back exposed.

She often wondered how she’d see romantic relationships if her soulmate had never killed anyone. Since becoming Tsunade’s apprentice and spending more and more of her time at the hospital, Sakura’s list of admirers haad grown considerably. Mostly, it was composed of shinobi who she had healed at one point or another. Yet, despite having no feelings for Itachi beyond a yearning to know more about him than what others say, she never felt like it was her place to explore those potential relationships. Having an obvious soulmark that reminded everyone about one of the worst nights in her village’s history and hid so many secrets beneath its meaning made Sakura wonder if those men would still want her if they knew how her soul was so interwoven with another.    
  
Sealing her soulmarks was just what Sakura needed to not be bound by destiny and pursue a life that wasn’t marked by Itachi’s actions. 

Sakura reached the village she sought just as the sun began its descent towards the horizon. Sakura slowed her pace down and looked towards the bright orange melting into pink and then blue. She has never thought to make the connection before, but now the colours of the sunset reminded her of her team. Naruto’s orange jumpsuit, Sakura’s hair. Sasuke’s dislike for wearing anything other than his blue shirt with the Uchiha insignia on the back. 

Although they were all apart, Sakura imagined that at that moment they were all looking up at the same sky.

***

The building she was looking for was at the opposite end of the village and served as the local clinic, for it was far too small to be called a hospital. Worryingly, it was the only healthcare establishment for miles, judging by the towns that Sakura had passed through and it didn’t even look like it had more than 20 beds. Tsunade had told her that the area has a low density of medical staff, but Sakura never imagined that the situation was this dire. She made a mental note to tell Tsunade-shishou to write to the Fire Daimyo to correct the neglect of this area when she was back. 

She stood at a porch for a few minutes, her hand in a fist ready to knock on the door but never quite making contact with the surface. Taking a deep breath, Sakura finally mustered the will to knock a rhythm into the wood that didn’t speak of the kunoichi’s usual strength. 

“Come in!” Came a woman’s voice from beyond the door. It sounded welcoming, unlike the run-down exterior of the building which gave Sakura more confidence to enter. 

Behind the door was a small reception area, with three simple chairs and a sturdy wooden table. Behind the table sat a woman who looked to be in her fifties, with ash-blonde hair that was streaked with grey upon closer examination. On the table in front of her, there was a heavy tome open half-way through. The woman’s fingers were holding up a page mid-turn as she looked up to meet Sakura’s eyes. 

“Ah, you must be Sakura. Tsunade-hime wrote that you will be visiting.” The woman said, smiling. “Tell me, does the Hokage still look like she hasn’t aged a day since I last saw her 20 years ago?”

“Tsunade-shishou is as youthful as ever, that’s for sure. You must be Toki-san. Thank you for agreeing to help me!”

“I must say, I am quite curious to see your soulmark. The letter that warned me of your arrival had so many secrecy seals that it must be quite something.”

“Yeah, you could call it that for sure.” Sakura’s face brightened with an uneasy smile as her hand instinctively reached to scratch at her back.

“Well, let me make you a cup of tea, my special blend of herbs so no caffeine in that and we can talk before you go to bed. I don’t imagine you’re eager to reveal your deepest secret to a complete stranger and we will have plenty of time to get started on the seals tomorrow.”

Sakura’s smile turned from uneasy to genuinely grateful. In truth, Sakura was less apprehensive about sealing the mark as she was about having someone she didn’t know see it. She didn’t even let Ino see what was behind her bindings and Ino was her best friend. However, Sakura’s mentor had obviously trusted Toki-san with this, so she decided to put her own trust in the older woman as well. 

Toki-san gestured to Sakura, inviting the kunoichi to join her in the small kitchen that was in the next room to the reception. 

“So what are they like, your soulmate?” Asked the woman as she set a cup of tea and a portion of dango in front of Sakura. “I ask everyone who comes in looking for a seal. For most people, getting a seal significantly reduces their chances of uniting with the person the universe chose for them, so I want to make sure that those that make this choice truly reflect on it.”

Sakura nodded in understanding. She wasn’t used to talking about Itachi openly, but she understood why such a conversation might be helpful for some people. She took the dango as an opportunity to stall the conversation and savoured the sweet treat before answering. 

“Well, I don’t know him personally. It is mostly just stories but I think he is someone who loves completely and selflessly, and he loves our village too. Way more than he loves himself… I’m not sure I’d call him a pacifist, but from the way my soulmarks hurt every time they appear, I would guess that he hates violence.” 

“He doesn’t sound like a bad man then, are you sure you’re good to go through the sealing? Once the seal is put in place, it can only be undone if your soulmate touches it.”

“You’ll see, it’s quite complicated. In truth, this man has had so many choices in his life forced upon him, I don’t think it would be fair on me to use this… thing that none of us chose as some sort of justification for why he should suddenly pay attention to me.” 

“I can tell you are Tsunade-hime’s pupil,” Toki-san said, laughing softly before turning more serious once again. “In truth, too many youths, especially those without soulmarks, think that receiving identifiable ones is some sort of cheat sheet for finding true love. Even relationships between soulmates have to be built from the ground up and nurtured.”

Sakura thought how, in some other life, where the Uchiha Massacre never happened, she might have fallen in love with Itachi in a straightforward way and they could have been a happy family. Sasuke would still be in Konoha. 

But that wasn’t her life. Sasuke was in the clutches of Orochimaru. Itachi now an international criminal thought of evil by all except for a select few. 

“I am quite tired,” continued Tori-san. “I will let you go to bed now. Most of the beds upstairs are occupied but I believe Room 7 has a spare bed that you could use.”

“Is it always this busy?” Asked Sakura. 

“From time to time, but not usually. There has been a high level of bandit activity in this area recently. This village is not big enough to have official guards or anything like that, but a few of the men that defended against the last attack have ended up here. My stash of painkillers is drying up quite quickly too.”

“I could go and pick out the necessary supplies from the local area once we are done with the seal,” offered Sakura. “It is the least I can do.”

“No need, dear. A young man comes from time to time to help me replenish my stock. Although he hasn’t visited in a while…”

“Well, let me know if you change your mind! It really is no trouble. Goodnight, Toki-san.”

“Goodnight, Sakura! Think it over before bed, just in case, yeah?” Sakura only smiled as an affirmation, before leaving to stew in her thoughts. 

Tomorrow, she will get her soulmark sealed and take charge of her fate. Hiding her marks was the first step, but it wouldn’t be enough to prevent Itachi from finding out. As she drifted off to sleep, Sakura thought how from tomorrow, she will make an effort to never take another life again unless there was no other option. 

She did not know Itachi, but something told her that that’s what he would have chosen had all his choices not been stripped away from him. 

***

Itachi’s sleeve was bloody from his cough. Thankfully, the Akatsuki cloak managed to muffle the noises and Kisame was still asleep next to the Uchiha.

His stash of cough suppressants had run out two weeks ago and his lung condition has worsened significantly. Every time, the healing became less effective and Itachi could feel himself spiralling closer to death every day. Thoughts of Sasuke kept him going most days, but he would be naive to think that his will to live for the sake of his brother would totally replace actual medicine. His vision was also growing increasingly blurry from the overuse of his Sharingan, so much so that he had trouble reading under poor lighting. The days when he could enjoy reading aa book without straining his eyes felt like a lifetime ago. 

He needed to visit someone who could fix him up before he could meet Sasuke one last time. 

Kisame and Itachi were in River Country, close enough for Itachi to visit his usual healer. 

The woman seemed to be oblivious to who he was, so that made the whole process a lot easier than it was when he had to get extra pills from more populated places. 

She was also the only one that ever gave him dango. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I got so excited about getting to write the meeting between Itachi and Sakura since I figured out how it's all going to happen that I had trouble writing all the bits leading up to that. 
> 
> Thank you so so much for all the kudos and kind comments. I am through with most of my postgraduate coursework now so I will try to respond to everything from now on ^_^ 
> 
> I am really excited for the next chapter when we finally get some ItaSaku interactions.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens and finally, Itachi and Sakura meet.

Sakura woke up lazily, with the sun poking through the small window making her eyelids feel less heavy by the second. Sakura felt drowsy and twisted around her pillow to get into a more comfortable position before the realisation of what the day would bring sent a jolt of adrenaline into her bloodstream.

As Sakura got dressed, the room filled with a homely smell of a freshly-cooked breakfast that intensified with each passing minute. The floorboards of the staircase creaked beneath Sakura’s feet, alerting the older medic to her presence. 

“Ah, Sakura-san, you’re just on time. Help yourself to some food. There’s miso soup, tamagoyaki and rice, of course. I am afraid I can’t join you quite yet as I have to feed everyone upstairs first but eat as much as you want!”

“Thank you, Toki-san, if you need any help upstairs just let me know!” 

“Nonsense,” said the older woman dismissively. “You are a guest here, and the sealing procedure will take a while, so you’ll need the sustenance, trust me!”

Sakura decided not to press it any further and headed into the small kitchen. The food was made traditionally and reminded Sakura of the family breakfasts that she no longer enjoyed now that she lived in her own apartment. 

So far away from Konoha, Sakura could almost forget that she was on a mission of sorts, and not on a vacation. Compared to the constant noisiness of Konoha, this place was quiet and the kunoichi had to remind herself that despite this apparent peace, the villagers all had their own worries. 

As she finished off the remainder of her breakfast, Sakura’s thoughts drifted towards the procedure she was about to undertake. Toki-san mentioned that it would be long, but would it be painful? The kunoichi did not enjoy pain, but injuries were just part of the job of a shinobi. Getting the soulmarks in the first place, especially the ones from the night of the Uchiha massacre, was more painful than any battle wound she had previously experienced. Surely, she could take whatever this day brought her. 

A loud clang, followed by a scream startled Sakura out of her daydreaming. She cursed herself when she realised that she had no kunai or other weapons on her. The dread of the soulmark sealing and the calm of the whole establishment had lulled the kunoichi into a false sense of security that she was now coming to regret. As Sakura reached the reception area, where the noise came from, she made eye contact with a masked man with his kunai pressed dangerously close to Toki-san’s throat. 

“Stop right there,” the man shouted at Sakura. “I need a medic to come with me now, as well as all the painkillers that you have in here.”

Sakura mentally cursed herself at the fact that her fighting style was more or less useless indoors when she could not damage the building. Toki-san’s life was at risk and a stray punch of Sakura’s could topple the whole structure which was not an option with the sick and wounded resting upstairs. 

“Sakura, get the painkillers, the key to the medicine cabinet is underneath the houseplant on the reception table,” said Toki-san in a steely ton, gesturing with her chin in the direction of the table. As she did so, the man with the kunai readjusted his grip of the weapon menacingly. 

“No sudden movements, and keep your hands where I can see them,” warned the man, his voice was full of resolve but with a hint of desperation that Sakura could not put her finger on. Perhaps it was something to do with the reason he needed a medic, and not just the painkillers to smuggle somewhere. 

The painkiller supply was dwindling since the bandit attacks have been on the rise, so it didn’t take Sakura long to place the remainder of their stock in a bag that the man threw across the room. She hoped that the older medic had some sort of secret stash somewhere because as far as she knew, some of the patients upstairs still required regular doses of the medicine. 

“Toki-san is needed here, I am a medic as well and I can come with you instead,” offered Sakura. “Just please put your weapon down.”

Although the man did not immediately comply, something in his face softened at the kunoichi’s proposition. 

“Th-thank you,” said the man shakily. He took the kunai off the older woman’s throat, and instead placed her in a light chokehold as he reached for something inside his jacket pocket. 

The item looked like a pair of sturdy handcuffs that had chakra-suppressing properties.

“Put them on.”

Sakura did as she was told, in the hope to de-escalate the situation. She could probably overpower the man, even with her chakra suppressed once they were outside but somehow, the desperation in the man’s voice made Sakura curious about his motives. 

The man pushed Toki-san away hard, causing the woman to fall to the floor with a loud thump. The gesture was unnecessarily cruel, but Sakura nevertheless was happy that the older woman was out of immediate danger. Soon after, she was yanked by her handcuffed hands and her vision was obscured with a burlap sack, not unlike the one the stashed the painkillers into. 

“Take care, Sakura-san,” cried Toki-san after her, “and don’t worry about the painkillers, I’ll think of something!”

***

When Itachi reached the familiar door of the clinic, the door was unusually closed and there was a sign on the door asking visitors to identify themselves before entering. Itachi knocked. 

“Toki-san, it is me, Ichirou, I’ve come to help you with your medicine stock as usual.” 

There was a brief silence before Itachi heard the sound of footsteps that grew progressively louder. Ever since his vision significantly deteriorated, Itachi relied a lot more on his hearing. Although his improved hearing did not entirely compensate for the blurry vision, it still helped him in battle and the more mundane situations. 

“What is your favourite food then?” The door remained closed. Itachi was perplexed by the sudden security question but cooperated. 

“It is dango, Toki-san.” Itachi heard a faint satisfied hum from beyond the door before it swung open. 

“I apologise for the extra security Ichirou-san, we’ve haad a bit of an incident this morning and I am being careful before I figure out what the situation is.”

The older woman detailed the attack on the clinic in the morning, gesturing dramatically as she told the story. Upon hearing that their entire stock of painkillers was gone, save for a few vials that just happened to be in the patient rooms at the time, Itachi considered going somewhere else for his final treatment. He dismissed the idea as quickly as the thought came to him. Toki-san has been discreetly helping him manage his illness for the past few years and he was not about to leave a kind woman in this predicament. 

“The young kunoichi that was staying with me went in my stead, and I have not heard from her since,” finished the woman. 

“Are you afraid that she will be killed?” 

“Knowing her, I am sure she will manage to get out of there alive,” said Toki-san warily. “However, I feel like I would be failing her if I didn’t try to help. You used to be a shinobi, Ichirou-san. I know I am asking a lot, but would you be able to scout the area for her?”

Itachi hesitated. This wasn’t really part of his plan. At the same time, Kisame was not expecting him back anytime soon and he usually stayed behind for several days to collect the necessary medical supplies anyway. 

“What does the woman that was staying with you look like?”

“You wouldn’t mistake her for anyone else. Pink hair, like cherry blossoms and bright green eyes.”

Itachi felt his eyes widen momentarily and wondered if the older woman noticed the reaction. 

“Yes, an unusual combination I know.”

Well, this made the whole situation even more inconvenient. The mysterious pink-haired girl, who was also a medic and competent enough for Toki-san not to be worried. Normally, Itachi visited this place because it was close to nothing in particular so there was little chance that he will run into someone from his past or present life. 

Now, he had somehow managed to accept a rescue mission involving none other than a former teammate of his little brother. Toki-san looked worried and knew nothing of his true identity, so he could not go back on his word now. 

“Alright, I’ll do my best to find the kunoichi for you. Can you tell me anything about how they left, or in which direction?” 

“I only know that they went north in the direction of the forest. Sakura was handcuffed with chakra-suppressing bindings, I believe, and blindfolded with a bag over her head.” 

“Hmm… If he was not carrying her then they are unlikely to have gone far like that. I should be back within 12 hours with news in that case.”

“Thank you, Ichirou-san! You can stay as long as you like after and I’ll make you double the normal amount of anything you need.”

“That is not necessary, especially given that your stock has recently suffered,” said Itachi, smiling. “I’ll be back soon.” 

Itachi had never been envious of the Copy-nin before that day as the tragedy of Hatake’s life could rival his own. Now, Itachi found himself wishing he had a few ninken of his own as he was not a natural tracker. 

If it wasn’t for the homing beacon of chakra on the girl’s forehead, he wouldn’t have given Toki-san the 12-hour return estimate. 

***

When the burlap sack was removed, Sakura found herself in a poorly-lit cave that smelled like blood and ash. On the way there, Sakura half-expected to be asked to heal a wounded bandit boss. Instead, right across from her and leaning on one of the cave walls was a woman clutching a newborn baby to her chest. The baby was unusually still and was not suckling. 

“I beg you,” said the man who dragged her there. “Save my son.” 

“You know, you could have just explained what was going on at the clinic, without dragging me here by force.” Sakura extended her still bound hands for the man to take care of. 

Something here did not add up, thought Sakura. From his attitude during the kidnapping, this man was obviously not very good at being a bandit. Given the situation, there was no reason to do what he did. There’s also no way he’d need the entire stock of painkillers after a complicated birth. 

As the man removed the handcuffs, Sakura felt an almost-euphoric feeling of chakra returning to the pathways in her hands. Rushing to the mother’s bedside, Sakura quickly got to work. 

“Hello, my name is Sakura and I am a medic from Konohagakure. What is your name? Can you tell me what happened during the birth?”

“My name is Akane. The baby… The baby was not meant to arrive this early and now he is hardly breathing and I don’t know what to do.”

The only thing clearer than the despair on the woman’s face was the fact that her pupils were unusually dilated. 

“Is there a chance you have come in contact with contaminated grain recently? It looks like the birth was artificially induced. I will have to examine your son so I can speed up cell division in the critical organs, and then I can have a look at you to make sure that whatever caused this is out of your system.” 

“I am not sure, we are usually quite careful with what we eat.” As Sakura carefully took the baby from the mother, her kidnapper approached and sat beside Akane, holding her arm reassuringly. 

This type of situation was not uncommon at the Konoha hospital. However, back at home, Sakura had the luxury of sophisticated monitors to make sure that she was accelerating cell division at just the right pace to develop the organs without the risk of tumour formation. Now, she had to rely on her own experience and instinct. The parents both stared at Sakura in astonishment as her hands glowed green. Neither of them took their eyes off their child until after around 30 minutes when the baby let out a life-signifying scream. 

The new parents both gasped when Sakura handed the child over to his mother and for the first time suckled properly. 

“I hate to interrupt this, but if my theory is correct, you might still have some of the birth-inducing substance in your system which would not be good for your son. I can extract that here, but it is a painful process that I would not recommend right after going through labour. We should move you and your son to the clinic as soon as possible.”

“How? Surely this would not be possible after what I did this morning?” Asked the father of the child. 

“I am still trying to understand your logic, maybe you can enlighten me on this in a minute, but I am not in the business of medicine to see people suffer needlessly. If you return the painkiller stash, I am sure that Toki-san won’t mind.”

“No, you don’t understand, the painkillers are not for me. I need them to buy freedom for my family.” 

Sakura sighed. How did a simple mission like this one end up with Sakura getting involved in some sort of drug smuggling ring?

“We were at my boss’ place yesterday, well, ex-boss’ now, and he said it’s either I deliver the drugs to him or they take my child away and give him to the snake-man.” The hint of desperation that Sakura saw in the man that morning had now grown into a full-blown panic that ran through all his features. 

Gods help her, a snake-man? Children being taken away? Of course, out of all the drug-smuggling rings Sakura could get involved with, it just had to be the one with which Orochimaru was involved as well. 

“Listen,” started Sakura, pausing for emphasis, “the man your boss is involved with is very dangerous and you should try and disappear if you want your family to be safe. But first, we need to get your wife and your child to the clinic, do you understand?”

The man only nodded vigorously. Whoever his boss was, Sakura wanted to find him and teach him not to give away other people’s children to monsters. This, however, had to wait. 

As she stood up to help her kidnapper collect their things, Sakura sensed an unusually powerful chakra signature. Instantly, the kunoichi summoned chakra to her fists and prepared for battle. 

“Who is there? Show yourself!”

Out of the shadows emerged the last person she wanted to see in these circumstances. 

“Well, it appears you do not need my help after all,” stated Itachi like this was not their first conversation. “Toki-san will be pleased to see you unharmed.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, last time I promised I'd update soon and then I just did not do that! I do apologise. The feedback I've received on this story so far has been very touching. Life is getting in the way of writing at the moment, but I do intend to finish this piece eventually. 
> 
> Once I got over the month-long hurdle of writing the bit where Sakura eats breakfast, this chapter came together surprisingly quickly. Not sure how that works in my brain, honestly. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The outcome of the meeting is here!

Sakura thought that leaving Toki-san to neutralise the bandit threat was the right thing to do, instead, she might have led her to even greater danger if the Akatsuki wanted something with her. As if reading her thoughts, Itachi spoke.

“You don’t have to worry, Toki-san is a friend. I am not here on Akatsuki business. I was under the impression that you have been kidnapped.”

Sakura was hailed as one of the smartest students in her generation, but her brain was struggling to process this situation. It did not look like Itachi was here to cause her harm. However, he also did not know that she knew his true nature. Surely, he would expect that a Leaf shinobi would try to attack him? Maybe she should have taken Tsunade up on her offer to teach Sakura a card game or two because the young kunoichi certainly needed a great poker face at that moment. 

Sakura’s assessment of the situation told her that she had no time for theatricals and deception as there were lives at stake. She just had to believe the missing-nin for the time being. Although he did not know it, she knew him far better than he knew her which would always be an advantage as far as shinobi were concerned. 

“They are not a threat, we need to get them back to the clinic for further treatment. I don’t have time to explain.”

Before Sakura could chastise herself for looking directly into the eye of an Uchiha, Itachi’s eyes spun red and so did her surroundings. The cave turned monochrome and Sharingan-red as Sakura found herself within the Tsukuyomi. 

“Explain, we have all the time in the world,” said Itachi matter-of-factly, as if he did not just pull her into the most powerful genjutsu known to man. 

“This man here is a low-level bandit, and his wife appears to have ergotamine poisoning. His boss seems to have gotten mixed up with Orochimaru and offered his subordinate’s child in exchange for who knows what. I suspect the boss is under pressure, so the ergot was used to induce the labour.” At the mention of the snake Sannin, Itachi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Toki-san should have what’s needed to flush out the ergotamine from the mother’s system, so the baby can be properly breastfed.” 

An awkward silence hung in the already heavy air of the Tsukuyomi realm. Itachi’s eyes scanned her face aimlessly as he pondered something regarding what Sakura just revealed. 

“So, how do you wish to proceed?” Sakura’s eyes widened briefly at his question, not expecting him to give her the lead.

“Help me carry the mother and child back to the clinic, and we can deal with the rest later.” 

As she finished her words, the colours around her became more akin to reality, and the feeling of Itachi lurking in her head subsided. Last time Itachi was in Konoha, his Tsukuyomi put Kakashi-sensei into a coma for a week. Although Sakura felt slightly dazed from the genjutsu, she found that her general capacity to process everything around her was not diminished. She wondered how many shinobi experienced nothing but a somewhat strained conversation inside the Tsukuyomi. Somehow, she doubted that it would be a long list. 

The kunoichi turned to the unlucky bandit, hoping that by the end of all this he will still have someone to call him father. 

“Alright, since we are now on the same side, what’s your name?”

“It’s Takumi, Sakura-san.”

“So, Takumi,” said the kunoichi, not bothering with an honorific since the man got her into this mess in the first place. “Listen carefully, we will go ahead to the clinic with your wife and child as you cannot match our speed. Since you managed to drag me here this morning, I trust that you will have no problem finding your way back.”

Sakura wasted no time as she picked up Akane, gently channelling her healing chakra towards the woman’s back to alleviate her discomfort from lying on the hard stone floor of the cave. 

“I trust you know how to hold a baby,” said the kunoichi, addressing Itachi. 

“Sasuke never complained,” assured Itachi, as if they were just a normal pair of brothers. 

“Well, this is certainly the first time I heard that sentence.” Sakura chuckled. “Now, Itachi-san, lead the way as I had a potato sack over my head all the way there.” 

***

It had been years since Itachi held an actual newborn in his arms. Akatsuki business never involved anything of the sort. Truth be told, Itachi appreciated that the chance encounter offered him an opportunity to help save a life or two instead of taking them. When Itachi first became a brother, he prided himself on the fact that Sasuke was always calmer in his arms than anyone else’s, save for their mother perhaps. 

Sakura Haruno was surprisingly unbothered by the fact that she now found herself in a company of someone who murdered his entire clan, amongst many others. He thought that it was her medic nature, perhaps, that was responsible for this type of behaviour. In the face of the need to save lives, the lines between enemy and comrade were blurred in her eyes. It served him well, for if she resisted he would have to at least pretend to put up a fight. Given his skills, that usually did not end up well for whoever was on the receiving end of his jutsu. The woman Sakura was carrying seemed to have passed out, and without her occasional whimpering, the most prominent sound around them was the wind rushing past. 

“By the way,” began Itachi, breaking the silence, “Toki-san doesn’t know of my real identity, so please call me Ichirou when we are at the clinic.”

“Ichirou? Out of all the names out there you just had to choose one that meant ‘first-born son’? How original…”

Given that he was an S-class criminal, the girl certainly had a lot of nerve. He had to remind himself that this Leaf kunoichi had her own entry in the bingo book after defeating Sasori, which could be an explanation for her confidence when faced with someone who significantly outranked her. 

“I’d say I am about as original as your parents,” pointed out Itachi, earning himself a death glare from the pink-haired kunoichi. 

The rest of the journey back to the clinic proceeded in silence, as the Leaf kunoichi clearly did not enjoy Itchi’s attempt at a joke enough to engage him in further conversation. 

When they finally reached the clinic, Sakura’s attention was devoted solely to helping the young mother. They brought both the young woman and her newborn upstairs, where Sakura administered the substance that was meant to help with the poisoning. The medic-nin fussed around the patient methodically, demonstrating a depth of experience that was definitely beyond what was expected relative to her age. 

“Brilliant isn’t she?” Asked Toki-san, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts. “Maybe you should ask Sakura-san to patch you up instead?” 

Itachi hadn’t really thought about it before. Ever since the onset of his illness, he had a hard time managing his symptoms on his own and Toki-san’s clinic was recommended to him by Jiraya. The sannin did not know the specifics of Itachi’s predicament and did not ask unwanted questions, for which the missing-nin was grateful. Toki-san had a similar disposition and did not treat him differently than any other patient, save for an occasional comment about his good looks. The pink-haired kunoichi did not owe him anything and had no reason to help someone who was an enemy of her village. He supposed that her general calmness towards him came from the unprecedented situation that she found herself in rather than a lack of loyalty towards her village. 

“A lowly ex-shinobi like me wouldn’t be able to afford her services,” replied Itachi, hoping Toki-san would drop the subject. 

“Nonsense, look at her now, taking care of the family of someone who kidnapped her and dragged her all over the place blindfolded. I am sure that if you ask nicely she will be able to help. Those pretty eyes of yours have gotten you many favours I am sure.” 

Here we go again, thought Itachi. Thankfully, the older woman did not press the subject or the compliments further. Something about the way the woman voiced the compliment unsettled Itachi. Toki-san wore that knowing look often, befitting a wise woman like her. Itachi attributed his increased paranoia to Sakura’s presence. Just because the leaf kunoichi knew who he was, did not mean that others also suspected. Although Itachi had to admit that his cover story was not the greatest, he took pride in being consistent with the made-up details over the years. 

“I’ll go cook dinner then,” offered the dark-haired ninja. “You are needed here more than I am, after all.”

Toki-san hummed appreciatively, before joining Sakura at the patient’s bedside. 

***

Itachi’s cooking was almost annoyingly delicious. Sakura thought herself to be an accomplished cook, but she had to admit that the S-class criminal ran circles around her in the kitchen. To be fair, as much as Sakura had grown in the past few years, she had to admit that Itachi surpassed her in many other departments as well. She had a passing thought to ask him to teach her genjutsu but she quickly dismissed them, it’s not like there was anything she could give him in exchange. 

“Ahhh… I am completely full. Thank you Ichirou-san for the food, you have truly outdone yourself last time,” said Toki-san. “I will bring a plate of dango to celebrate all of us getting through this ordeal.” 

Sakura did not miss the way Itachi’s eyes lit up at the mention of the confection. He waited politely until after the plate of dango was firmly set on the table by Toki-san before reaching for a stick with an unchecked excitement in his movements. Sakura eyed her own dango portion.

“Ichirou-san, would you teach me some genjutsu if I give you my dango?” Sakura asked, watching fascination as Itachi’s eyes widened to a size she didn’t think he could muster. 

“I didn’t know Ichirou-san was proficient in genjutsu,” interjected Toki-san. 

“Oh yeah, after experiencing one of his genjutsu on myself, I am very impressed,” continued Sakura. “In fact, he’s so good you’d think he was an Uchiha.”

Across from her, Itachi choked on his dango and let out a loud, strained cough. Toki-san looked at him worriedly as she hit his back lightly. 

“You used a genjutsu on Sakura-san?” Asked Toki-san after Itachi’s breathing was no longer obstructed.

“It was for the purposes of us conversing without the kidnapper being privy to the conversation,” explained Itachi, who was again his usual collected self. “Speaking of kidnappers, I feel like he was due to arrive hours ago.”

“Perhaps there was trouble on the way,” said Sakura worriedly. “Luckily, we took around a third of the stolen painkillers with us in case something happens to him. Do you think it’s worth investigating?”

“He might have had other urgent issues to take care of,” said Itachi, reaching for Sakura’s plate of dango. “Meet me tomorrow at sunrise for your genjutsu lesson. If he is not back by then, I will leave to investigate whilst you and Toki-san take care of your...business.” 

Sakura found herself smiling despite herself at the dark-haired man in front of her. Throughout her life as a shinobi, no one taught her any decent genjutsu despite Kakashi-sensei proclaiming her to be a genjutsu type. 

“Goodnight Toki-san, Sakura-san.” Itachi stood up to leave, taking his newly acquired dango with him. “I will see you in the morning.” 

The kunoichi watched him all the way until he disappeared upstairs.

“Sakura-san, I am aware you have an early morning tomorrow, but I need to examine your soulmark so I can begin the preparations for the sealing.” Said the older woman.

Sakura stiffened but put on a brave face. This is what she came here for, to hide the fact that she was soulbound to a notorious clan killer and undercover martyr. Not to rescue mothers and babies from caves, as important as that was. Getting the seal meant that she first had to reveal everything to Toki-san. 

“Yes, let’s just get that over with then,” said the young kunoichi with a defeated tone. 

In the small makeshift examination room, Sakura removed all clothes that covered her back and laid down on the padded table in the middle of the room. 

“Are you comfortable?” Asked Toki-san from outside the door. 

“Yes, we can begin.” 

Toki-san’s acknowledgement of what she had seen on Sakura’s back became apparent when the kunoichi heard the older woman’s loud intake of breath. 

“And you are sure you want it sealed? If you keep up those dinner jokes you just might send the boy to an early grave. At least now I can stop trying to figure out why you weren’t trying to kill him with, you know, actual jutsu.” 

It was Sakura’s turn to be surprised. “How long have you known who he was?”

“I had my suspicions the first time I met him,” clarified Toki-san. “The Uchiha look is hard to miss for anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in Konoha. I wrote to Jiraya the first time I realised to confirm, and the Sannin assured me that I had nothing to worry about. Plus, that first name he adopted isn’t exactly very creative, is it?”

“That’s what I said!” Exclaimed Sakura louder than she wanted. She put her hand over her mouth remorsefully as if that would somehow keep the words from leaving it. 

“Well, child, the soulmark is extensive. With my other responsibilities around here, it will probably take a week to fully seal. Accelerating the process puts your chakra pathways in danger. These may look skin-deep but the reality is a lot more complicated.”

A full week? Sakura wasn’t planning on staying that long originally but there was no backing out now. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” continued Toki-san. “He owes me a lot of help with the painkillers and our supplies are short so he’ll be around as well. Maybe you two can get to know each other better… I’ve only known him as Ichirou, but I know enough to imagine that there’s more to the story than what the world believes about him… I can only imagine the life you’ve had having that on your back, but maybe fate has been kinder to you than you thought since you are both here.”

“So what do we do now, do we keep up the charade?” Asked Sakura.

“It makes everything easier, doesn’t it? Besides, I find his insistence on keeping up the cover story quite amusing.” 

Sakura could see how that’s true. 

“Have a goodnight, Sakura-san. This week won’t be easy.” 

Despite the well-wishes of the older woman, Sakura could not fall into a peaceful slumber that night. 

As she woke up yet again and glanced outside the window, she saw the horizon give in to shades of green. The full sunrise was fast approaching, and with it, her promised genjutsu instructor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh it's finally here! My laptop's keyboard is really messed up. The space bar is a particularly interesting lottery as you never know whether you'll get no space or a double space (or on a rare occasion an actual single space!!). I gave up and wrote the last few paragraphs on my phone.
> 
> Thankfully, I recently won a laptop so this will soon be not my problem. 
> 
> I wrote the first half of this chapter practically the day after I published the last time, but it took me a while to figure out the rest. The second part was harder because I was always like 'Wow, this is just really farfetched, isn't it?" I have to remind myself that this is an ItaSaku and a heavy AU on top of that, so I hope it makes sense.
> 
> To me, Itachi at this moment is guided primarily by his extreme loyalty to Konoha and his love for Sasuke. Since Sasuke is currently not in the picture, the first point becomes more important. 
> 
> Sakura, in turn, is guided by her romanticism which has been subdued due to the life she had and the shinobi lifestyle, but which is still quite central to her character in my opinion. 
> 
> Toki-san definitely became a more prominent character than originally planned. She has the confidence of both Tsunade and Jiraya and is a good judge of character. She is also slightly mysterious even to me, which I like. That's why there most likely won't be a Toki-san POV in the future. 
> 
> Anyways, hopefully you don't feel like I am explaining my own story to you readers too much! As always, thank you for reading and can't wait to hear your thoughts!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura's genjutsu lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: This is a very short update, but it made more sense to me as a stand-alone.

When she descended the staircase and reached the reception area, Itachi was already waiting for her there. If he noticed how tired she looked, he didn’t comment on it. They exited the clinic and left towards the cave she was dragged to last time until they reached a small clearing. 

“Spar me first,” said Itachi, as if it was an obvious start to a genjutsu lesson. “You let Naruto and Kakashi do all the work last time, so I would like to see what I am dealing with.”

“Alright, sounds like a good time,” replied Sakura, ignoring the sting of his previous comment. She took a second to adjust her gloves in preparation for their friendly battle and then looked up back at the raven-haired ninja, only to be met with the blazing red of the Sharingan. 

“I am not stupid,” explained Itachi, obviously noting the surprise on her face. “You’re in the Bingo Book for a reason.”

How did Itachi manage to vaguely insult her and then do something that any shinobi would consider a compliment in the next second?

Itachi was not the type of shinobi that needed a breather, so when Sakura’s gloves were properly in place and the chakra flowed towards her feet and fists, she charged. 

To her significant annoyance, Itachi dodged every one of her blows. Sometimes, she was just a hair’s breadth away from the side of his face, which should have made her happy given that he was using the Sharingan. Instead, the fact that he was so close yet so far infuriated her even more. 

She must have spent fifteen minutes trying to hit Itachi before he elegantly backflipped from her latest attempt, gesturing that the spar was over.

“I think I have seen enough,” said Itachi to confirm. “You’re here to learn genjutsu, not spar with me, after all.”

“Let’s get to it then,” replied Sakura with an unmistaken hint of anticipation in her tone. She took off her gloves and stashed them in a dedicated compartment of her kunoichi pouch. 

“As I am sure you know, genjutsu works by manipulating chakra that flows through the nervous system of the shinobi that you want to influence…”

As Itachi went through the theory behind genjutsu, Sakura listened attentively like a good student that she was. Admittedly though, having an excuse to study Itachi’s face properly at close proximity made her acutely aware of how attractive Itachi was. Sasuke was certainly handsome, but somehow that word didn’t feel right in Sakura’s head as she examined her teammate’s brother. Itachi was more like the candy-coloured sunrise behind him or the expansive sand dunes of Suna at mid-day. He was like a force of nature that could only be described as beautiful. Days were always duller when clouds obscured the sun, and just like that Itachi’s Akatsuki cloak shrouded all the goodness that she knew existed in this man. 

“So this covers the theory but you are not here for a lecture so let’s get started properly. Please sit opposite me so you can reach my hands,” said Itachi, startling Sakura out of her previous train of thought. Her previous experiences with Itachi mostly involved genjutsu or replacement bodies so it was strange to interact with him in this way. She did not even get to touch him during their spar, after all. He sat down on the ground cross-legged and brought his hands forward and out, so his palms were flat and faced towards her. 

Sakura did as she was told, pressing her palms to his. She noted the way his hands were significantly larger and hers. Warm too, but there weren’t any sparks of electricity like the ones described in the repetitive romance novels that Ino used to share with her. 

“Now, based on what you have just told you, try and cast a genjutsu on me so that it looks and feels like our hands are not actually touching. Even a centimetre would be good enough.”

“How will I know that it has worked? Surely this is a pointless exercise given you’re an Uchiha.” 

“This is a common misconception,” clarified Itachi. “We aren’t impervious to the effects of genjutsu as far as the altered perception goes if the user is skilled. It is just that we can detect and dispel them so quickly that they wouldn’t be of any use against an Uchiha in a battle. So I will let you know when you’ve done it.”

With her task set, Sakura started concentrating, visualising the scene in front of her from Itachi’s point of view. As she did so, her mind focused on the image of herself. How did Itachi see her? Perhaps someday she would be able to ask him about that directly. They sat like that for at least an hour without any success on her part but the shinobi in front of her still held his elegant and stoic expression. He did not even look bored, but just focused. 

“Well done,” said Itachi after another quarter of an hour that felt more like a lifetime to Sakura. “Now do that again.”

It took Sakura ten minutes to repeat her first success, then seven, then one. 

After the fourth consolidated attempt, Itachi got up and turned to walk towards a tree where he stashed his supplies for an upcoming mission.

“Is that it? Aren’t you supposed to teach me how to instil fear in my enemies with excruciating illusions of pain and suffering?”

His face was mostly facing away from her, but Sakura could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards for a second. 

“When we sparred earlier, you almost hit me maybe a dozen times. A centimetre’s difference could have left me with only half a face. As you have demonstrated, genjutsu has a reputation for being dramatic and you have a reputation for being highly skilled in taijutsu and medical ninjutsu. No one would expect you to use genjutsu in the middle of a battle and I suspect that no one without a dojutsu would live to tell the tale.”

Sakura stood there, slightly dumbstruck. After only a short spar, Itachi was able to pinpoint the smallest intervention that would generate the most impact. 

“Of course, you still need to practice against moving targets, but you do not need me for that, you clearly have the talent. I believe I have repaid my debt to you, Sakura-san. Thank you for the dango.”

For some reason, she didn’t like the feeling in her chest at the sight of his figure slowly but surely fading into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been away for a while but in that time I wrote the entirety of my Master's Dissertation, so it was a much-needed absence. Reading feedback always gives me more inspiration so I wanted to post what I had to get back into the grove. I've had this section sitting in my drafts for a while now but I am currently adjusting to a few internships and other projects so once that's done I should be able to get the story going. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi returns from his expedition.

Getting a soulmark sealed was somewhat like a massage, Sakura thought. If your massage was being done by someone who wasn’t trying to relax you at all. Her back felt wet from the various pastes and salves used in the procedure and the soulmarks stung as they were sealed. 

“So how does this even work?” asked Sakura. “I kind of have a feeling that there will be more people for him to kill in his future.”

She shuddered a little bit as she said that, thinking of Sasuke’s intent to cross paths with his brother in battle. 

“It’s not an exact science by any means,” explained Toki-san. “As far as I know, any routine kills should not disturb the soulmark once it is sealed, but if someone that is dear to him dies by his hand or the experience of taking the life is otherwise emotional, the fabric of the seal may be disturbed. People don’t come to me for this often, I don’t exactly advertise my services and the ones that have come for this exact thing do not usually come back.”

“Why do you think no one comes back?”

“Well, first of all, this isn’t exactly the most popular area of the country,” explained Toki-san. “Most people don’t have a big village secret all over their body so I guess it can slip down on their priority list. For others, the seal stays put and they take it as a form of freedom to fall in love and marry whoever they want without the reminder that fate had other plans.”

A heavy silence permeated the room.

“Ouch,” exclaimed Sakura suddenly. “Whatever you did just now was for some reason more painful than whatever you were doing before.”

“That wasn’t me, I’m afraid,” explained Toki-san, looking at Sakura’s back with worry. “I’m afraid Itachi-san has run into trouble so you’ve got two new tally marks.”

“Pretty sure it’s them who ran into trouble,” added Sakura, chuckling through the pain. 

“I have more bad news, the new soulmarks are disturbing the seal, so we won’t be able to continue for today.” As she finished her sentence solemnly, Toki-san started tidying up her equipment and putting spare ingredients back into their containers. 

Without the creation of the seal to occupy her time, Sakura concentrated on reviewing the contents of Toki-san’s medical cabinet and other supplies. As well as reorganising and re-reorganising the available medicine according to their usage and expected expiry dates, Sakura started thinking about refilling the stock. 

This was really all just a ploy to distract herself from the thoughts that Itachi was out there killing whoever was unlucky to cross his path and the fact that his mission has now added an extra day to her sealing procedure. However, Sakura thought that at least this way her procrastination is productive and helpful for Toki-san who was doing the kunoichi a huge favour. 

Why did Itachi come here in the first place? Clearly, he was in need of periodic medical attention, otherwise, neither of them would have found themselves in this exact situation. 

***

Itachi’s elbow was yet again stained with blood. The state of the illness ravaging his lungs was quite obviously getting out of hand. The presence of the pink-haired kunoichi has clearly preoccupied Toki-san, meaning that the older woman did not have as much time to replenish the stock. Perhaps without Sakura’s presence, the situation with Orochimaru’s child-snatching gang would have ended much earlier and he wouldn’t have to deal with all of this whilst spewing blood everywhere. 

As he thought that, Itachi mentally chastised himself. If it weren't for Sakura’s presence, Toki-san would have been taken instead and there was no telling what would have happened to the woman that he owed quite a lot to after all these years. 

He had to die by Sasuke’s hand soon, as was always planned, but for that to happen, he needed to make sure that he could survive long enough to at least put up a good fight. 

Takumi, who was barely alive, was swung over Itachi’s shoulder which prevented the Uchiha from dealing with the evidence of his illness. To make matters worse, his face was most likely stained with blood as well from his overuse of the Mangekyo. 

Normally, Itachi would not use Tsukuyomi on a lowly gang of ex-shinobi, but he disliked those that abused children with a murderous ardour that made his use of the powerful genjutsu almost instinctive. Now that the advanced version of the Sharingan was no longer enhancing his vision, it felt even blurrier than usual. His lungs were in tatters and he was going blind. 

_ Fantastic _ , thought Itachi. How the mighty have fallen. 

Realistically, his stamina was almost nonexistent at this point. If he was to fight Sasuke, he’d have to rely heavily on his genjutsu skills in order to wear his brother out. It had to go according to plan. Sasuke’s hatred for his brother has been brewing for years now, and only a good battle would give Sasuke the satisfaction he was sure to be anticipating from finally killing Itachi. 

Then, just as Itachi was planning for all these years, Sasuke would be free to come back to the village as a hero who was able to best the biggest traitor Konoha has ever seen. Sasuke’s own defection to Orochimaru’s side would be forgotten, or so the older brother thought. 

It was approaching twilight already, and Itachi felt exhausted. Thankfully, right in front of him was a familiar tree formation that indicated that he was almost back at the little medical centre.

As the building of interest came into view, Itachi was struck by the lonely figure sitting on the porch. Sakura’s normally blossom-pink hair was illuminated by the solitary lamp next to the front door, making it shimmer with deeper shades of reds and oranges, like the autumn leaves. The kunoichi was absentmindedly sharpening a kunai when she spotted him, her eyes immediately darting to the man he was carrying. 

“Do you need any help with that?” Asked Sakura, gesturing to the unconscious man.    
  
“I think I am alright for now, but I would appreciate some help from the door.” She darted towards the entrance as asked immediately, but stopped short of opening it. Instead, much to Itachi’s surprise she lightly touched his bloodied elbow instead. Her fingertips were barely a whisper on his skin as if she was unsure whether any more contact would set him off. 

“Are you hurt?” Her eyes were full of unexplainable worry.

“It can wait,” said Itachi in response. He was not sure why he didn’t dismiss his condition entirely and mentally admonished himself at the slip-up. From what he knew about the Leaf kunoichi so far, she had an unparalleled desire or even need to help everyone so she was unlikely to forget about it later. 

Sakura ushered Itachi up the stairs and into one of the rooms. A single bed was positioned on the right-hand side of the entrance and he placed the unconscious excuse for a bandit there without needing explicit instructions. Apart from the bed, there was only a small chest of drawers in the room, which left hardly any floor space for anything else. 

“I will sort this out. Dinner should be ready downstairs. You should eat,” said Sakura in an authoritative tone that he wasn’t quite used to yet. 

He decided not to argue and left with a curt nod, closing the door behind him. There wasn’t anything Itachi could do to help the medic-nin with the situation, and if there was, he was sure she would ask for it directly. 

As he descended the stairs, with Takumi no longer a burden on his shoulder, the smell of food actually registered with him on a conscious level. Itachi’s stomach grovelled unpleasantly, making a point of the shinobi’s hunger.

“Ah, Ichirou-san, just on time,” said Toki-san. She was busy filling in a few trays of food with the contents of the various pots and pans in preparation for administering them upstairs. “Don’t mind me, sit down and eat.”

The dinner was simple. There was rice, as always and a side of miso soup. The staples were served with a white fish marinated in teriyaki sauce. Despite its simplicity, it was expertly prepared and Itachi eagerly helped himself to a portion. In the absence of anyone else in the room, the little medical centre felt eerily quiet. The only sound that cut through the silence was a faint ticking of the clock on the wall right outside the kitchen. 

The tick-tock of the clock hands underscored Itachi’s sense of impermanence in terms of remaining where he was. Somehow, he did not want to quite let go of the place which was perhaps his last little sliver of normalcy before what he planned was due to happen. An average person would not even call this normal. He had even killed men today… Those bandits arranged for a systematic supply of children for Orochimaru’s experiments and the world was better off without them. His violent confrontations were not normally this morally unambiguous to him. 

He stood up and began cleaning the dishes from his dinner in the sink, taking time to scrub off the dried blood from his arms and face at the same time. 

“Oh, you have already finished?” Asked the now familiar voice of the pink-haired kunoichi who proceeded to help herself to a portion of dinner.

  
  
Itachi didn’t bother answering what was a self-evident question.

  
  
‘Is the man ok?” He asked instead.

“Yes, I think I have sorted it out. It appears he just passed out from the shock of everything that happened,” explained Sakura.

“What about the mother and child?” Itachi continued. 

  
  
“I believe the ergotamine is out of her system now, they are together now upstairs, although Takumi is still unconscious,” elaborated Sakura. “I have to say, your genuine concern is sort of sweet.”

For a moment, she seemed taken aback by her own choice of words, with her cheeks borrowing the shade of her hair for a second. 

“Family is precious.” 

  
  
The kunoichi did not immediately respond, and Itachi braced himself for a cutting comment about his infamous status as the murderer of his clan. 

“That it is,” was her only response.    
  


The silence persisted and Itachi searched through his recent memory for something that would not sound like a misplaced attempt to change the subject.   
  


“Did you check his jacket pockets? I have stored what remained of the stolen medicine there. It looked like they were cutting the rest with something so I did not want to risk picking up what could be contaminated samples.”

“Yes, that’s smart. I’ll be going out tomorrow afternoon to gather the necessary herbs for the replacement. Toki-san tells me that you usually do that for her so you are welcome to join me, it will be faster with two people.”

“Sure,” offered Itachi briskly. Whatever helped him get out of here faster and back to his mission sounded good in his book. 

Sakura offered him a weak smile in return as she sat down to eat her food. Even though he was technically finished with his dinner and could go up to his room, he somehow found himself pulling out the chair he was previously occupying. 

Although they didn’t say anything else to each other, Itachi found that the silence was no longer uncomfortable. Once again, he could hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall which was now joined by soft clicks of the kunoichi’s chopsticks as they touched each other or the dishes.

He watched as Sakura’s plates and bowls steadily emptied and she stood up to wash them in the sink. After stacking her dishes carefully next to the ones he washed earlier, Sakura dried her hands absentmindedly against the fabric covering her legs and turned towards the exit. 

“I’m not going to insist on anything, but I can tell by your breathing that something is wrong with your lungs. I should be awake and in my room for another few hours or so if you want my help.”

Itachi stared at the patch of the wall next to the open door without meeting Sakura’s eyes and by the time that he snapped out of his contemplations, the sounds of her footsteps were already becoming quieter as she ascended the staircase. 

He stopped to cover the food so it was still warm for when Toki-san was free to have the food she prepared before going upstairs as well. 

  
  
The door to his room now had a little note on it that said “Ichirou” and the note on the door next to his room said “Sakura”, also in Toki-san’s neat script.    
  
Standing between the two doors, Itachi tentatively reached out towards Sakura’s, his knuckles grazing the wood gently before he snapped his hand back as if the door’s surface was hot.    
  
With a subtle shake of his head, he turned around and firmly grasped the doorknob to his own bedroom.   
  
_ It’s unwise to further complicate things _ , thought Itachi as he settled into the bed and drifted off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit it's been a long time but I had the worst writer's block about what is going on in this fic. 
> 
> Additionally, the period since the last update included me looking for my first job after graduation which was kind of its own mess as you can imagine during the pandemic. But that is now sorted and I am happy with everything so consequently I am going back to writing. 
> 
> If anyone else reading this is looking for work at this time, best of luck and don't lose hope, I know the whole process sucks! On a similar note, if you're interested in working in tech/startups and want some advice for the early career stage - feel free to reach out. 
> 
> Anyways, I actually have the next chapter planned very solidly in my head and I am VERY excited about it so I think it will be out sooner than my usual glacial update speed. As always, thank you for reading :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura comes to a late-night rescue.

After her earlier sealing session with Toki-san, Sakura did not bother to reapply the bindings that she usually wore to cover her soulmarked back. She simply opted to wear clothes that would cover her up nicely. Usually, kunoichi only bound their chest, if they were lucky to be free of a forest of tally marks on visible parts of their bodies. Sakura disliked the restrictive feel of them and used to opt to wear the right clothing styles. However, since the incident with Sasori, she realised that she could never be too careful when it came to hiding her soulmarks.   
  
Offering her medical skills to Itachi meant inviting him to her room, and she did not want to risk him seeing what she came here to cover up. She diligently reapplied the bindings, straining her neck to check that everything in the back that was not already sealed was properly covered. 

She wondered whether she should sit up on the bed in order to look more professional if Itachi chose to take her up on her offer. The room was bare of any other furniture, there wasn’t a desk or anything of the sort that could give Sakura the feeling of being back at the office that she shared with Shizune in the Konoha Hospital. She allowed herself to lie down and relax for a little while and absorb her day fully.

The sound of footsteps on the staircase startled the kunoichi out of her quiet meditation. She crawled out from under the covers in an instant, resting her weight on her arms. Then Sakura’s breath stilled and she could feel her heart beating faster against her ribcage. The footsteps stopped just when they reached the floorboards outside Sakura’s door. The kunoichi willed herself to breathe, but her heartbeat refused to go back to normal. For what felt like an eternity, Sakura stared at the door, waiting for the knock to come and for the door handle to twist. The vision was so clear in her head that she almost didn’t register the sound of a door that was not hers shutting outside. The door she knew belonged to Itachi for the duration of his stay here. 

Perhaps he was going to collect something from his room and then come back? The adrenaline spike coursing through Sakura’s blood had eliminated any inclination to close her eyes and sleep. She might as well wait up for a little longer in case he changed his mind. 

With every toss and turn of the kunoichi, it became more and more clear that the missing-nin was not going to change his mind. Sakura mentally admonished herself for being so hopeful for no reason. He was probably sound asleep without even giving her a second thought, and here she was, unable to sleep because of the man. It wasn’t as if being awake because of her soulmate was a new phenomenon for the kunoichi, during her childhood and even later in life the pain of the soulmarks and the need to channel chakra into them to ease the discomfort kept her up on numerous occasions. However, it somehow felt worse to be wide awake because of him when her soulmate was just next door. 

With a huff, Sakura got up to remove the bindings on her torso since she’d be with Toki-san first-thing in the morning. After unravelling herself, she put the simple tank top that she preferred to sleep in back on and slid herself under the covers that still held onto some of her body heat. She tried to expunge Itachi from her thoughts. 

The last thing she saw before sleep overtook her was a pair of Sharingan-red eyes staring into her soul. 

The first thing she heard upon awakening was the sound of a wall-rattling cough. From the lack of light outside her tiny window, she could tell it was not yet morning. Itachi was hurt. That’s what happened when he refused to see her. Sakura was worried but did not want to disturb Itachi when he clearly did not want her help. Then, the first cough became the second and the third bout of coughing was virtually indistinguishable from the fourth. Something was wrong. 

Within seconds, Sakura was outside of her own door and through his without bothering with the decorum of knocking. Itachi was sitting up in bed, his arms were at the intersection of his neck and chest as if he was trying to get the cough to stop with his chakra. His eyes darted to the pink-haired kunoichi and widened in surprise. 

She made it to his bedside quickly. Sakura didn’t even need to make direct physical contact with her medical chakra in order to be able to tell that Itachi’s lungs were in tatters and were filled with blood.   
  
“This isn’t an easy fix,” she said gravely, “I will need to knock you out so I can repair the damage, otherwise it will be almost as uncomfortable as the coughing itself. Don’t strain your voice, blink twice if that’s ok.” 

Itachi stared at her, first without communicating his decision. But when another shudder came over him, and Sakura’s top became splattered with his blood, he blinked his assent. When Sakura brought her hand towards his temple in order to render him unconscious, he flinched as if he expected a punch. I guess she couldn’t quite blame him given her fighting style. She channelled some of her chakra that felt around his chakra pathways around his meninges and then further inside his brain. Once she suppressed his consciousness, as well as the part of the brain that regulated coughing, she knew she had to work quickly to remove the buildup of blood and repair blood vessels and lung tissue. 

There was only one issue, the damage was unlike anything she has seen before and removing the blood would require it to be broken apart on a molecular level which required a lot of chakra. If she wasn’t careful she could well pass out from chakra exhaustion before she was completely done. Sakura turned Itachi onto his side as a precaution. Normally, for a procedure as complicated as this, she would have access to adjustable hospital beds or even an operating table. Here, she was forced to do without all of those things. In order to get into the most comfortable position for the treatment, Sakura laid on the bed next to the ailing man, facing his back, and began work.   
  
She has only done this once on a human being and even then she was dealing with a liver, an organ with perhaps the best healing properties out of all. The lungs, on the other hand, were extremely delicate and lost alveoli were notoriously difficult to resurrect. 

Despite the challenges, Sakura poured more and more of her chakra into Itachi and she was succeeding. Without the coughing constantly bursting open new vessels, Sakura was able to repair them consistently whilst removing buildup from the lung tissue and airways. 

As Itachi’s lunges became closer to functioning like those of a normal person, Sakura crept closer and closer to exhaustion. If she pushed herself beyond the natural call of her chakra limits, she could lose the progress on her Byakugou seal and that wasn’t something that she planned on parting with tonight. 

With her last strength before sleep claimed her for a second time that night, Sakura reached out to the same spot on Itachi’s temple in order to reverse the stasis. 

***

Itachi was dreaming. It was the only time when breathing did not feel like a chore. He must be dreaming because he was not alone in his bed. Next to him, Sakura was in a deep sleep. She murmured, engrossed in a dream within a dream, and turned around so her back faced him. 

Itachi was in a nightmare. Sakura’s back was covered in a forest of red strokes and symbols, reminding him why he did not deserve to walk this earth for much longer.   
  
_Uchiha Fugaku. Uchiha Mikoto. Uchiha Izumi. Uchiha. Uchiha. Uchiha._

He tried to get his muscles to move, but they were slow to respond as if he was coming out of surgery. The memories of his night flooded back. The coughing. The dying… Despite Itachi’s worst fears, it did not come to that because of the other occupant of his bed. 

The young woman was his soulmate. What was worse, from the moment they met in the cave, only one of them was privy to the fact. Upon closer examination of the markings on her back, he could see that some of them had seals on them that still had faint remnants of Toki-san’s chakra. So that’s what Sakura was doing here.   
  
He was unsettled by the realisation because he was not accustomed to being at a disadvantage of knowledge when it came to his status as a missing-nin. If Sakura was not scared of him when she met him, she must know at least some of the truth with regards to what transpired the night he abandoned the village. 

Her knowledge of his choice to save the village over his clan also fit neatly with Sakura’s status as the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage. 

If it wasn’t for her, he would probably be dead at this very moment. With no chance of facing Sasuke head-on. No matter how he turned the situation over within his mind, he owed Sakura something for what she had done, although he was not sure what that could be. After all, he was tied to Sasuke’s fate as tightly as he was to this young woman, if not more. 

For what it was worth, Itachi thought that it was better for her not to know. So when he felt the kunoichi stir again, Itachi closed his eyes and focused on making his breathing even, as if he was still asleep.

Inhale, and exhale, the process was easier than it was at any point in his recent memory. Beside him, he could hear Sakura get up slowly. He could feel her hands pressing into his chest and the warm pulse of her healing chakra. She was checking whether her work from last night was sufficient. He couldn’t tell her that it was that and more. 

He was sure that he could not quite comprehend the sheer complexity of the procedure she performed last night with absolutely no help or extra equipment. What he did know was that all the healers that he had seen previously, including Toki-san, could not reverse the progression of his condition to such an extent. 

Sakura finished her examination quickly and left in a hurry. Itachi supposed that she did not want him to wake up and potentially discover what he did, in fact, discover. 

He listened to the door shut behind her and allowed himself some time to appreciate the ease with which his lungs expanded and deflated. 

Perhaps he could live with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was quite short, mostly because it was originally meant to be one chapter with the previous one. Things are going to get more complicated from now on, and I have to say that I am not 100% sure how things will turn out. 
> 
> On a more personal note - if you have a bit of time, check out my friend's community writing project: https://www.thoughtsinmy20s.com/  
> It's all about sharing unfiltered and honest thoughts about living in your 20s :)


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